1So when David was old and satisfied with days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. 2And he gathered together all the rulers of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. 3Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the head count of the men was thirty-eight thousand. 4Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah, six thousand officers and judges, 5four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand for praising Jehovah with instruments, which I have made, said David, to give praise. 6David also divided them into divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 7The Gershonites: Laadan and Shimei. 8The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel; three. 9The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran; three. These were the heads of the fathers of Laadan. 10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah; these, the four sons of Shimei. 11Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were reckoned as one father's house. 12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; four. 13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart, he and his sons perpetually, that he should consecrate the set apart, holy things, to burn incense before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name perpetually. 14The sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of Moses: Gershon and Eliezer. 16The sons of Gershon: Shebuel was head. 17The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah was head. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was head. 19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20The sons of Uzziel: Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second. 21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters; and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. 23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth; three. 24These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses; heads of fathers as they were reckoned by the number of names by head count, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from the age of twenty years and above. 25For David had said, Jehovah the God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem always; 26and also to the Levites, They shall no longer need to carry the tabernacle, nor any of the vessels for its service. 27For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; 28because their function was to give a hand to the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God, 29both with the Bread in Rows and the fine flour for the grain offering, with the unleavened cakes and what is in the pans, with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and sizes; 30to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at evening; 31and to offer the burnt offerings unto Jehovah on the Sabbaths and on the new moons and on the set feasts, by number according to their ordinance, continually before Jehovah; 32and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the service of the house of Jehovah.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 Here we have, I. The crown entailed, according to the divine appointment,
1Chr 23:1. David made Solomon king, not to reign with him, or reign under him, but only to reign after him. This he did, 1. When he was old and full of days. He was but seventy years old when he died, and yet he was full of days,
satur dierum -
satisfied with living in this world. When he found himself going off, he made provision for the welfare of the kingdom after his decease, and pleased himself with the hopeful prospect of a happy settlement both in church and state. 2. He did it in parliament, in a solemn assembly of all the princes of Israel, which made Adonijah's attempt to break in upon Solomon's title and set it aside, notwithstanding this public recognition and establishment of it, the more impudent, impious, and ridiculous. Note, The settling or securing of the crown in the interests of the temple is a great blessing to the people and a great satisfaction to those who are themselves leaving the world.
II. The Levites numbered, according to the rule in Moses's time, from thirty years old to fifty,
Num 4:2,
Num 4:3. Their number in Moses's time. by this rule, was 8580 (
Num 4:47,
Num 4:48), but now it had increased above four-fold, much more in proportion than the rest of the tribes; for the serviceable men of Levi's tribe were now 38,000, unless we suppose that here those were reckoned who were above fifty, which was not the case there. Joab had not numbered the Levites (
1Chr 21:6), but David now did, not in pride, but for a good purpose, and then he needed not fear wrath for it.
III. The Levites distributed to their respective posts (
1Chr 23:4,
1Chr 23:5), that every hand might be employed (for, of all men, an idle Levite makes the worst figure), and that every part of the work might be carefully done. Now it was for the honour of God that so great a number of servants attended his house and the business of it. Much of the state of great men consists in the greatness of their retinue. When God kept house in Israel see what a great household he had, and all well fed and well taught. But what were these to the attendants of his throne above, and the innumerable company of angels? It was the happiness of Israel that they had among them such a considerable body of men who were obliged by their office to promote and keep up religion among them. If the worship of God go to decay in Israel, let it not be said that it was for want of due provision for the support of it, but that those who should have done it were careless and false. The work assigned the Levites was four-fold: - 1. Some, and indeed far the greater number, were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord: 24,000, almost two-thirds, were appointed for this service, to attend the priests in killing the sacrifices, flaying them, washing them, cutting them up, burning them, to have the meat-offerings and drink-offerings ready, to carry out dirt, and keep all the vessels and utensils of the temple clean, and every thing in its place, that the service might be performed both with expedition and with exactness. These served 1000 a-week, and so went round in twenty-four courses. Perhaps while the temple was in building some of these were employed to set forward that work, to assist the builders, at least to quicken them, and keep good order among them, and the decorum which became temple-work. 2. Others were officers and judges, not in the affairs of the temple, and in the controversies that arose there (for there, we may suppose, the priests presided), but in the country. They were magistrates, to give the laws of God in charge, to resolves difficulties, and to determine controversies that arose upon them. Of these there were 6000, in the several parts of the kingdom, that assisted the princes and elders of every tribe in the administration of justice. 3. Others were porters, to guard all the avenues of the house of God, to examine those that desired entrance, and to resist those that would force an entrance. These were the life-guards of the temple, and probably were armed accordingly. 4. Others were singers and players on instruments, whose business it was to keep up that part of the service; this was a new-erected office.
IV. The Levites mustered, and disposed of into their respective families and kindreds, that an account of them might the better be kept, and those that neglected their duty might be the more easily discovered, by calling over the roll, and obliging them to answer to their names, which each family might do for itself. When those of the same family were employed together it would engage them to love and assist one another. When Christ sent forth his disciples two and two he put together those that were brethren. Two families were here joined in one (
1Chr 23:11) because they had not many sons. Those that are weak and little, separately, may be put together and appear considerable. That which is most observable in this account of the families of the Levites is that the posterity of Moses (that great man) stood upon the level with common Levites, and had no dignities or privileges at all peculiar to them; whilst the posterity of Aaron were advanced to the priest's office, to
sanctify the most holy things, 1Chr 23:13. It is said indeed of the grandson of Moses, Rehabiah, that
his sons were highly multiplied, 1Chr 23:17,
margin. When God proposed to him that, if he would let fall his intercession for Israel, he would make of him a great nation, he generously refused it, in recompence for which his family is here greatly increased, and makes up in number what it wants in figure, in the tribe of Levi. Now, 1. The levelling of Moses' family with the rest is an evidence of his self-denial. Such an interest had he both with God and man that if he had aimed to raise his own family, to dignify and enrich that, he might easily have done so; but he was no self-seeking man, as appears from his leaving to his children no marks of distinction, which was a sign that he had the spirit of God and not the spirit of the world. 2. The elevation of Aaron's family above the rest was a recompence for his self-denial. When Moses (his younger brother) was made a god to Pharaoh, and he only his prophet or spokesman, to observe his orders and do as he was bidden, Aaron never disputed it, nor insisted upon his seniority, but readily took the inferior post God put him in, submitted to Moses, and, upon occasion, called him
his lord; and because he thus submitted himself, in his own person, to his junior, in compliance with the will of God, God highly exalted his family, even above that of Moses himself. Those that are content to stoop are in the fairest way to rise. Before honour is humility.
24 Here is, I. An alteration made in the computation of the effective men of the Levites - that whereas, in Moses's time, they were not enlisted, or taken into service, till they were thirty-years old, nor admitted as probationers till twenty-five (
Num 8:24), David ordered, by direction from God, that they should be numbered
for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upwards,
1Chr 23:24. This order he confirmed by his last words,
1Chr 23:27. When he put his last hand to the draught of this establishment he expressly appointed this to be done for ever after; yet not he; but the Lord. 1. Perhaps the young Levites, having no work appointed them till twenty-five years old, had many of them got a habit of idleness, or grew addicted to their pleasures, which proved both a blemish to their reputation and a hindrance to their usefulness afterwards, to prevent which inconvenience they are set to work, and brought under discipline, at twenty-years old. Those that will be eminent must learn to take care and take care betimes. 2. When the work of the Levites was to carry burdens, heavy burdens, the tabernacle and the furniture of it, God would not call any to it till they had come to their full strength; for he considers our frame, and, in service as well as sufferings, will lay no more upon us than we are able to bear. But now God had given rest to his people, and made Jerusalem his dwelling-place for ever, so that there was no more occasion to carry the tabernacle and the vessels thereof, the service was much easier, and what would not over-work them nor over-load them if they entered upon it at twenty-years old. 3. Now the people of Israel were multiplied, and there was a more general resort to Jerusalem, and would be when the temple was built, than had ever been at Shiloh, or Nob, or Gibeon; it was therefore requisite there should be more hands employed in the temple-service, that every Israelite who brought an offering might find a Levite ready to assist him. When more work is to be done it is a pity but there should be more workmen fetched in for the doing of it. When the harvest is plenteous why should the labourers be few?
II. A further account of the Levites' work. What the work of the priests was we are told (
1Chr 23:13):
To sanctify the most holy things, to burn incense before the Lord, and to
bless in his name; that work the Levites were not to meddle with, and yet they had work enough, and good work, according to that to which they were appointed,
1Chr 23:4,
1Chr 23:5. 1. Those of them that were to
set forward the work of the house of God (
1Chr 23:4) were therein to
wait on the sons of Aaron (
1Chr 23:28), were to do the drudgery-work (if any work for God is to be called
drudgery ) of the house of God, to keep the courts and chambers clean, set things in their places, and have them ready when there was occasion to use them. They were to prepare the show-bread which the priests were to set on the table, to provide the flour and cakes for the meat-offerings, that the priests might have every thing ready to their hands. 2. Those of them that were judges and officers had an eye particularly upon all
measure and size, 1Chr 23:29. The standards of all weights and measures were kept in the sanctuary; and the Levites had the care of them, to see that they were exact, and to try other weights and measures by them when they were appealed to. 3. The work of the singers was to
thank and praise the Lord (
1Chr 23:30), at the offering of the morning and evening sacrifices, and other oblations on the sabbaths, new moons, etc.,
1Chr 23:31. Moses appointed that they should blow with trumpets over their burnt offerings and other sacrifices, and on their solemn days,
Num 10:10. The sound of the trumpet was awful, and might be affecting to the worshippers, but was not articulate, nor such a reasonable service as this which David appointed, of singing psalms on those occasions. As the Jewish church grew up from its infancy, it grew more and more intelligent in its devotions, till it came at length, in the gospel, to
put away childish things, 1Cor 13:11;
Galat 4:3,
Galat 4:9. 4. The work of the porters (
1Chr 23:5) was to keep
the charge of the tabernacle and of the holy place, that none might come nigh but such as were allowed, and those no nearer than was allowed them,
1Chr 23:32. They were likewise to keep the charge of the sons of Aaron, to be at their beck and go on their errands, who are yet called
their brethren, to be a memorandum to the priests that, though they were advanced to a high station, yet they were
hewn out of the same rock with common Levites, and therefore must not lord it over them, but in all instances treat them as brethren.
